How "Slumdog Millionaire" got its name

If you are wondering why "Slumdog" and why not "Slumboy", there's a story behind how Danny Boyle's Golden Globe-winning film got its unusual name. Read more here.


By the way, the director still thinks the movie is not perfect.

Where the hell is Matt? On VISA

Just in case you haven't caught Matt Harding in the new VISA ad



FYI, Matt's dance moves on his hugely popular YouTube videos have made millions of Netizens smile.



So have his Outtakes - the ones that didn't make the cut.

INTERVIEW - Matt Harding

The President is Coming -- is finally here

The President is Coming, a film set in Mumbai during George W. Bush's trip to India in 2006, tells the fictional tale of six Indians vying for a chance to shake hands with the visiting head of state.

The film opened in Indian cinemas on Friday. Here's what Rajeev Masand has to say. And Nikhat Kazmi.

How a cockroach got drunk on the sets of 'Mr India'

Remember that scene in Mr India(1987) where Sridevi comes face to face with a cockroach.

Turns out director Shekhar Kapur had to coax the roach with some rum to stand still for the shot.

Kapur wrote about it on his blog.

"Well, I needed the cockroach to be very still for the camera as he/she eyed Sri Devi threateningly. Focussing takes a long time and the cockroach needed to be patient. So we got the cockroach drunk !! No kidding, we surrounded the cockroach in a pool of my favorite Old Monk Rum, and the cockroach was soon lolling around like a drunken sailor, giving in to the DP, Baba Azmi's every demand."

Good thing PETA wasn't really in the picture (in Bollywood) 20 years ago.

India Blog Mela - December 2008

Ramesh Srivats is back with a second post on 100-word election speeches -- fictional, of course.

Greatbong reveals why he does not like Arundhati Roy.

Did you hear about the guy who threw a DVD of 'Drona' at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh? Anand Ramachandran has the details.

He was destined for glory right from when he was small. He broke all the rules. Krish Ashok writes an obituary.

Rajesh Ramaswamy remembers the Cocojumbo man, the Scatman troop and the Nirvana chick.

Thanks to Muffin, Suchitra Krishnamoorthi finally understands men.

Sauvik Chakraverti wants to shut down the DDA.

Jai Arjun Singh has a credit card almost thrust upon him, then taken away.

Amrita bumped into the rooster in the kitchen. When she was three.

Jammy is thanking God for helping his family survive winter in north India.

That's all for now. The January 2009 Blog Mela returns early next month. But before leaving, do please vote for the best post in the December 2008 Blog Mela.

The best of December 2008 blog mela
	Ramesh Srivats
	Greatbong
	Anand Ramachandran
	Krish Ashok
	Rajesh Ramaswamy
	Suchitra Krishnamoorthi
	Sauvik Chakraverti
	Jai Arjun Singh
	Amrita
	Jammy
	None of these
pollcode.com free polls

Did you just come across a quirky, interesting or something-that-tugs-at-your-heartstrings blog? If yes, feel free to nominate it for the January 2009 Blog Mela being hosted here on February 2.

How to Nominate
- Leave a comment on this post OR better still - Mail me at toeknee (at) gmail (dot) com


RULES
- Posts must have been written by Indians or have an Indian angle
- Only posts published between 1-31 January 2009 would be accepted
- If possible, please nominate individual posts, not the whole blog
- Feel free to nominate something you have written. Immodesty appreciated
- You can nominate as many blog posts as you like - provided you really like them
- Only nominations received before midnight on February 2 stand a chance to be featured in the Top 10 list
- No, you don't get any moolah for nominating or getting featured in the Blog Mela. That could change once I am a millionaire but for now you'll just have to bear with me
- Yours truly reserves the right to nominate good posts which you ignore

PREVIOUS BLOG MELAS
2007
March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November

Luger Shiva Keshavan does India proud

It was a good year for Indian sports and Shiva Keshavan just made 2008 better.

In case you didn't hear about it, India's most famous luger won a bronze medal at the Asia Cup this December, three years after his first podium finish at Nagano(Japan).

What's luge? Well, it's been a Winter Olympics sport since 1964 and involves a high-speed sled ride through a semi-circular ice track.

At 27, Keshavan is already a luge veteran -- having taken part in three Winter Olympics and now preparing for his fourth at Vancouver next year.

On Christmas Eve in 2005, Keshavan won his first international medals in the sport, picking up a bronze (singles) and silver (doubles) at the Nagano Asia Cup.

Two months later, at the Torino Olympics, Keshavan finished 25th -- a creditable result considering only a second separated him from the gold medallist in terms of best lap time.

Moreover, Keshavan did it against all odds -- no funding or help from a defunct national luge association.

He's got himself some sponsors now and is back on the luge track after a sabbatical of nearly two years.

So here's wishing Keshavan best of luck for a Herculean task in 2010 -- bagging India's first medal at the Winter Olympics.

INTERVIEW (July 31, 2007)

The Smoke Ring fraternity

I went for a party last night and was faced with empty chairs at periodic intervals. Where were all these people going?

Jugular Vein helped me get to the bottom of it.

I went outside and spent a very pleasant evening with people i'd never met before. I never did get their names, but one was an India Kings Extra Mild, two were Marlboro Lights and another was a Habanos Monte Cristo No 4 Classy.

Read more here.

How many calories does it take to win 8 Olympic golds?

Remember all those news items about Michael Phelps taking in 12,000 calories every day.

Turns out they weren't entirely true.

November 2008 Blog Mela

In this special edition of the monthly blog mela, here are the best of Indian blog posts on the Mumbai attacks.

Prem Panicker - The morning after

India Uncut - A Night Out in Mumbai

Ramesh Srivats - It would be funny if it weren't so scary

Sonia Faleiro - Children of Bombay

Amitabh Bachchan - A nation is upset and angry

Great Bong - The way forward

Annie Zaidi - Mumbai, post

Mudra Mehta - -------------------

Karan Johar - The Fire Within...

Green Channel - Nightmares